A weekend in which few mobile phones were kept busy over the issue of the composition of the Spanish Congress's Bureau, which, as was predictable, will become the first big battle of the legislature. The Socialist Party (PSOE) aspires to place one of its own there, as does the People's Party (PP), while the party whose votes holds the balance, Together for Catalonia (Junts per Catalunya), is committed at the outset to a third way, which could only be the Basque Nationalists (PNV) or, as a very defensive position, someone from the left-wing platform Sumar. And if the PNV does not want this or the Socialists refuse to play this card? In such a case, it does not seem that a PSOE deputy would have any advantage in a vote in Congress over a representative from the PP, however much it may seem to some that the opposite is true.
But at the time of writing it's Sunday night and there are three long days and a good part of a fourth morning until the vote on Thursday 17th. Too many hours to venture anything definitive, although the echoes of what they seem to hear from beyond the Pyrenees is not at all reassuring for the Socialists regarding the congressional governing organ which is the Bureau, partly because of the attitude that has been maintained so far. "Not even a half gram of water in advance", is one of the expressions used by someone who has good knowledge of the contacts that have taken place.
It is possible that this Monday when Pedro Sánchez does the count and realizes that the votes he has do not add up, he will switch to another gear in the miniscule contact maintained so far by his minister Félix Bolaños with the deputy Míriam Nogueras. The PSOE does not seem to be aware of its arithmetical situation and is gambling everything on the roulette table, on the basis that no one will dare to give a single vote to Feijóo's PP because it is contaminated by the need to depend on Vox. This shows complete ignorance of what Junts and Puigdemont have in their hands, as though it simply requires a deal with some compensatory elements, without those making the settlement considering whether what they are offering is coherent.
Sumar is, to some extent, showing its nervousness, because they did bother to study and dissect the Puigdemont manual. A statement made by Ada Colau this Sunday pointing out that a failure of an agreement around Sánchez would be irresponsible and would open a window of opportunity for Vox, is in this direction. All this while the former Barcelona mayor is seen to be interested in the possibility that in a future government agreement that repeats a PSOE-Podemos executive, she could sit in cabinet and occupy the housing portfolio. A golden handshake after the people of Barcelona prevented her from winning a third municipal term with their votes on May 28th.